in middle schooli was told my grades didn't really matterthat seventh and eighth grade were more a test of your ability to survive highly unpleasant social conditionsthan anything like academic prowess. that was all right, i didn't feel really compelled to fail--school was easy, anyways. i tried to fail one class and scraped by with a 90. in high school suddenly i feel as ifgrades are everything. not because anyone's told me specifically, but because of the underlying sentiment. think of your gpa!colleges look at those. everything counts. it's meant to be motivating, maybe. i'm supposed to be encouragedthat all of my work today is going to the purpose of sending me to college,even the mandatory, somewhat pointless health and diversity. really,it's just more pressure. i am fourteen years old. not even fifteen. i am too busy trying to figure outwho i am and where i fit into this world, right now, to be looking forward to college. and it bothers me, a little, that we spend the first twenty-two years of our livesin school, being educated as to how to live our lives. twenty-two is nearing the tail endof the neolithic human lifespan. it's about a fourth of the wayinto the average human lifespan today.and i understand education. i understand the search for knowledge. i fully support it. but it's the pressure, the constantly working towards that future goal of the next hoop you have to jump through, just beyond this one. in a way, i think college will be a relief. to be attending school for the sake of school and not for the sake of the school i'll go to after i go to this school. (starts tying your mind into knots eventually)then again, as i said, i'm not even fifteen. i can't pretend to understand what does and does not work in the world.

this is really just a rant which was born because i was feeling stressed out about homework. any sentiments that seem anti-education, incorrect or idiotic are not meant to be .

Discussion

Comments

Gabby Chisamore

Feb 13, 2018

I really feel this. The never ending pressure about having to do eveything to your best of your ablity, and beyond that. Because colleges look at everything. The feeling of your best isn't enough because there is and always will be someone better at that thing than you so you push yourself to be better. Creating a vicious cycle of stress and feeling like you're teetering on the edge of giving up. And people say that it will be worth it in the long run, and sure, it will be. But that doesn't change the fact that schools force unholy amounts of pressure onto us and that's it incredibly stressful.

Fiona Ella

Feb 14, 2018

Agreed. It just gets old. I'm glad you could relate--thank you.

Drift

Feb 14, 2018

I love how brutally honest this piece is, and as someone who graduates this June, its painfully true. I already have received acceptance letters but there is still that constant hoop I have to jump through, or that C+ is going to ruin me, or so on and so forth. I really like how you framed these 22 years of education in comparison to the length of life spans, specifically how you progressed from neolithic humans to today. Nice job.

Fiona Ella

Feb 14, 2018

Thank you! I'm glad the lifespan worked, because i wasn't sure if it would. i'm really glad you could relate.

Reid

Feb 14, 2018

Hi Fiona, you might think this is 'just a rant,' but it is much more. It's the kind of writing that has people involuntarily nodding their heads as they read, and most likely applauding by the end. You've nailed it -- this is the reality for too many people your age. Something's very wrong and you are naming it. Well done, and thank you for that! I see you have marked 'no' for publication, but would you consider changing your mind? And add audio, too? This should be read -- and heard -- but, as always, I respect your decision on that.

Fiona Ella

Feb 14, 2018

I marked this as a no for publication because I wasn't sure if it would be well received or not, and I did think of it as a rant, but I can change that. And I will add audio when I can (I have a cold at the moment, so my voice is iffy). Thank you!